Browsing: Mike

Florida State would have to write Mike Norvell a massive check in order to fire him, even after he restructured his contract in the offseason.

Norvell’s future with the Seminoles will become a bigger point of discussion after FSU fell 20-13 to Stanford, extending its losing streak to four games.

Alas, the coach might be untouchable for now if only because of what the Tallahassee Democrat‘s Dan Rorabaugh reported is a buyout of around $59.2 million.

As long has Florida State fires him without cause, Norvell is entitled to receive 85 percent of the outstanding balance on his contract. Since his deal runs through 2031, dismissing him at any point over the next few years will be expensive.

Here’s his annual salary moving forward, per Rorabaugh:

Norvell is another example of the risks schools are increasingly taking with the extensions they’re handing out.

Ahead of the 2023 season, Florida State re-signed him through 2029 and bumped his annual salary up to $8.05 million. The Seminoles’ unbeaten record during the regular season that year resulted in another pay raise.

FSU proceeded to fall off a cliff in 2024 and finished at 2-10. Even assuming that was a nadir under the current regime, missing a bowl game for the second successive year would be a disaster.

Florida State is also trending toward a fourth losing record in his six seasons at the helm. It’s starting to feel like 13-1 was more of an exception than 2-10.

Of course, the dilemma for FSU is twofold.

Norvell would be cashing in on the second-biggest buyout in college football history, eclipsing the $49 million Penn State just paid to James Franklin but falling well short of the $76 million Texas A&M paid for Jimbo Fisher to go away.

All total, the Seminoles would need to find $100 million, maybe even $150 million to compensate Norvell and his staff and then hire a new head coach.

There’s also the fact that the coaching market is in a rough place right now.

Look no further than Penn State. Jettisoning Franklin was an understandable call, but the list of candidates to potentially replace him isn’t exactly inspiring. Curt Cignetti, one of the best theoretical options, took himself out of the running by signing a new deal with Indiana.

It would be the same thing with Florida State. As bad as things are with Norvell, there’s always the risk that things continue to spiral with a new head coach, which would mean another big buyout and more angst.

Giving it another year and trying to salvage things with Norvell might be the most likely outcome for the Seminoles.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SUMMARY of #883 cover-dated October 15, 2005: The cover story features Wade Keller’s in-depth expanded two-page cover story on the Jim Ross announcing mess. Also, a three page in-depth exclusive Torch Talk interview with Mike Goldberg, who talks about his decision to turn down WWE’s offer to replace Ross as host of Raw. Plus, a full page of reader letters reacting to the Ross situation, and Keller’s End Notes talks about WWE.com’s spin on the situation… Bruce Mitchell writes about Brock Lesnar’s apparent courtroom win over WWE freeing him up to wrestle for New Japan… Pat McNeill looks at the growing list of gimmick matches in pro wrestling… In-depth WWE No Mercy coverage of the PPV few people actually saw including Keller’s match report and star ratings, Roundtable Reviews from Torch staff, and Reader Reax… WWE Newswire with the scoop on the proposed Steve Austin-Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania 22, Brock Lesnar’s situuation, WWE vs. UFC ratings breakdown, and more… TNA Newswire with the inside story on Sean Waltman’s disappearance, ratings reaction, and TNA taping notes… ROH Newswire with exclusive quotes from Gabe Sapolsky and a preview of this coming weekends events… Plus the 1995 Backtrack, Live Event Spotlight on Australia’s WSW card, and more…

–DIRECT LINK: PWTorchNewsletter #883

–LIST OF ALL 2005 BACK ISSUES

–TUTORIAL ON DISPLAYING NEWSLETTER PDFS ON IPAD OR ANDROID TABLET

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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is known for his hard-nosed coaching style, so it’s not surprising that he wasn’t feeling sentimental when he was fired by the Tennessee Titans two years ago.

Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against his former team, Vrabel was asked if he held onto any mementos from his time with the Titans, and he told reporters that the Goodwill in Nashville got “a good haul” of his team-related items after his firing.

Tennessee dismissed Vrabel at the end of the 2023 season following a six-year tenure that included three playoff appearances with one trip to the AFC Championship Game. He finished his run with the team with a 54-45 record.

After spending the 2024 season as a coaching consultant for the Cleveland Browns, Vrabel was hired to coach the Patriots, with whom he had spent the majority of his playing career. It hasn’t taken long for him to turn things around in New England, as the team ranks first in the AFC East with a 4-2 record following Sunday’s 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints.

The Titans, meanwhile, have a 1-5 record and are once again in the market for a new head coach after firing Brian Callahan on Monday, just six games into his second year with the team. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy was tabbed as the interim head coach.

It all creates the perfect scenario for a revenge game for Vrabel, as he will be motivated to lead the Patriots to a statement win over his former franchise.

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MONTREAL — Cole Caufield finished a dizzying overtime sequence with a highly skilled shot that beat Joey Daccord and stamped a dramatic 5-4 win over the Seattle Kraken in the Montreal Canadiens’ home opener at Bell Centre on Tuesday.

He had rifled home the goal that made it 2-1 Canadiens in the eighth minute of the second period, too. The puck came to him and was off his stick in a millisecond, uncorked in a way few in the NHL could replicate.

That was 30 minutes of game action before Ivan Demidov produced his second highlight-of-the-night-candidate — a gorgeous move that froze Daccord and tied the game 4-4.

The fifth pick in the 2024 NHL Draft produced his first with a high-speed, pull-up-and-pass play to Alex Newhook for a tap-in that opened the scoring.

Yes, fans in attendance were treated to Caufield and Demidov making game-altering plays and tapping into their natural talents to remind everyone how fortunate the Canadiens are to have them.

Nick Suzuki has done that, too, since the start of the season, producing a league-high six assists through four games. And Lane Hutson, fresh off signing his eight-year, $70.8-million contract extension Monday, came with his best on Tuesday.

But the Canadiens know they wouldnâ€t be 3-1 on their season without the ordinary plays Mike Matheson has made in the background.

Yes, it is the ordinary that has made Matheson “exceptional so far,†according to Newhook.

Martin St. Louis said, “Mikeâ€s been tremendous.â€

“Without him, who knows where we are?†asked Caufield.

And Suzuki, who called Matheson Montrealâ€s best defenceman, put his finger on why heâ€s made such an impact to this strong start.

“I think as heâ€s gotten older, heâ€s found a way to feel out the game more and not take as much risk,†the captain said. “Mikeâ€s been so poised. Perhaps more so this season than Iâ€ve seen before.â€

If the 32-year-old keeps it up, he becomes indispensable to the Canadiens.

You know theyâ€re thinking it.

After locking up Hutson on Monday and signing five-year contract extensions for themselves Tuesday, Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes must be contemplating what itâ€ll take to keep Matheson in Montreal beyond this year. The Pointe-Claire, Que. native is in the final year of a deal paying $4.85 million per, and heâ€s undeniably a huge piece of the fabric thatâ€s woven the vaunted culture of the Canadiens, and they know it.

Itâ€s what they hoped Matheson would be when they traded for him four summers ago.

He put up 19 goals and 96 points over his first 130 games. And then, with Hutsonâ€s arrival, he assumed the role of becoming their top shutdown defenceman and leading penalty killer.

The transition wasnâ€t necessarily as smooth for Matheson as his patented skating stride, but it wasnâ€t nearly as rocky as some in the market made it out to be last year.

But now? With more experience under his belt?

Matheson looks as comfortable as can be in his role, and the Canadiens are benefitting tremendously.

Theyâ€ve felt it since the start of the season, but they particularly felt it on Tuesday night, when they were prone to complicating the game and playing “jumpy,†as Newhook put it.

Matheson was sure-footed and steady, calming play that needed to be calmed.

Itâ€s been what heâ€s done since the season started. With the depth of the Canadiens bolstered, and with game-changing talent throughout their lineup, Matheson has been able to use his teammates more efficiently and adopt a less-is-more approach thatâ€s increased his value.

It is the approach he thinks all the Canadiens should have.

“You look around the league, especially teams that are successful in the playoffs, they play boring hockey,†Matheson said. “As much as that might not be the most fun to watch all the time, thatâ€s what wins. It gets people off their feet when thereâ€s a really nice move or something like that, but more times than not it doesnâ€t work. I think weâ€re understanding more and more that the more connected we are, the more we use each other, the better and better weâ€ll be.â€

Right now, heâ€s driving that.

“Itâ€s hard to say ‘simple†with all he does, but at the end of the day his role on the team has definitely changed a lot and it takes a special person and player to kind of adapt to his role that way,†said Caufield. “To all of us, we know how special a player and person he is. Every day, he just works. Itâ€s special to have a player like that. Heâ€s a huge leader for our team. He plays against their top line every night, kills penalty, goes back and breaks the puck out every time and takes a hit. Where heâ€s come is a long way, and heâ€s a very special piece to have.â€

Matheson will be a difficult piece to keep.

The Canadiens wonâ€t be able to do it at just any price. But losing him might cost them more.

Itâ€ll require a fair deal and a strong pitch to keep Matheson from the allure of unrestricted free agency as the salary cap is skyrocketing and the scarcity of minute-munching, penalty-killing, offence-stimulating defenceman like him becomes more and more evident. The Canadiens will be incentivized to give it to him if he keeps playing as he has.

Matheson would welcome that with open arms.

He called the opportunity to potentially stay with the Canadiens and see through the process theyâ€ve embarked on together over the time heâ€s been in Montreal “super motivating.â€

But Matheson also said heâ€s not spending his days thinking about anything other than the plays heâ€ll have to make to help the Canadiens win their next game.

His mind is in the right place, and thatâ€s as much a reason the Canadiens are off to a good start as the game-breaking plays some of his teammates have delivered.

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WWE

Accounts of how Vince McMahon treated talent and those who worked under him differ depending on the source, but the accepted consensus has always been that he ran a tight ship and would chew people out when they didn’t do things the way he wanted them done. Even veteran referee Mike Chioda wasn’t excluded from this, as he recalled during an appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast.

“The only night I -probably- I did so wrong was Candice [Michelle] and Beth Phoenix; best out of three falls,” he recalled when asked if he wishes there was a single night he could redo in his career. “We just get off a seventeen-day Europe tour, and I knew Candice, she was hanging tough all week, you know, we were all hanging out, partying. She was a little tired. She got dehydrated in that match, and stuff like that.”

Chioda further told that Candice Michelle ended up taking a bad bump after going to the top of the turnbuckle and falling down fast in the corner. “She was still awake, and I was like, ‘Alright, just cover Beth, just cover!’ I knew she was hurt, but if I call the match, Beth still wins the title?” he noted, assuming that he was safe to make a judgment call.

Mike Chioda claims that male wrestlers would always push through injuries to make sure the finishes to matches were met

WWE

Unfortunately for Mike Chioda, Beth Phoenix didn’t exactly play things the way he had hoped she would, and instead pulled the dehydrated Candice Michelle by her hair out of the corner. “I was like ‘oh, s**t!’ I counted 1-2-3. I was so proned, as a referee, to finish the matches with the boys, the girls, everybody, always, the boys, that’s one thing the wrestlers always did: whether they were hurt or not, man, they would get into a finish right away,” the veteran referee added.

“The referee, really, just never stops the match unless he talked to the boys,” Chioda explained. “So, I counted three, man, Vince was hot, she dislocated her shoulder, she was badly concussed, thank God she was okay later on and stuff, but Vince, man? That’s the one time, and only time, he ever f**king reamed me out, man.” Chioda then admitted that he was supposed to stop the match immediately, and took responsibility for not making a better call, while claiming that Vince McMahon was angered by how he didn’t use all the control he had as a referee to make sure the wrestlers weren’t injured.

In the past, Michelle has looked back on her feud with Phoenix and never mentioned the incident, but instead called the feud the biggest highlight of her career.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Oct 12, 2025, 12:50 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan knew the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to play a tribute video. There has been one for each returning player that won a championship during Sullivan’s time with the Penguins.

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t any less emotional in his return to Pittsburgh after parting ways with the organization in April.

“It means a lot,” Sullivan said after New York’s 6-1 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday. “I’m grateful for everything we accomplished (in Pittsburgh) during my time.”

The tribute video played at the first media timeout, honoring Sullivan for his accomplishments with the Penguins. Sullivan received a standing ovation and acknowledged the crowd with a wave to the air

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal 23 seconds after the video to give the Rangers a lead they didn’t relinquish.

Sullivan, who spent 10 seasons with the Penguins, was elevated from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. Sullivan, the only U.S.-born coach to win at least two Stanley Cups, is the all-time leader at Pittsburgh with 409 wins in 753 games.

“I’m so grateful to the group of players over those years that performed the way they did that allowed us to have the success that we had,” Sullivan said. “When you watch a tribute like that, which I was very appreciative of for the Penguins, they didn’t have to do that, it brings back a flood of emotions.”

Sullivan already coached against the Penguins and lost, as Dan Muse won his debut behind the bench with Pittsburgh 3-0 in Tuesday’s season opener at Madison Square Garden. Sullivan was impressed with his team’s response during a shutout at Buffalo on Thursday and again two days later with a win against the same Pittsburgh team that blanked the Rangers in the opener.

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“They played a much more determined game for the last 40 minutes,” Sullivan said. “I think that shows you what we’re capable of when we play with that focus and determination.”

The Penguins and Sullivan parted ways after Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for a third straight season. Almost immediately, Sullivan landed in New York and replaced Peter Laviolette for a franchise seeking it’s first title since 1994. Sullivan is now tasked with the responsibility of providing structure and discipline to a team that unraveled on and off the ice, missing the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final.

Sullivan’s relentless intensity instantly ignited the Penguins. But now Pittsburgh, which hasn’t made it beyond the first round since 2018, is in the midst of an inevitable rebuild and general manager Kyle Dubas felt that it was time to go in another direction.

Now, Sullivan’s job is to turn the Rangers back into an immediate contender.

“I’m excited about the group of players we have in New York,” Sullivan said. “I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had to work with them to this point, we have a lot of enthusiasm around our team right now and we’re excited about what we can potentially do moving forward.”

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Oct 13, 2025, 12:30 PM ET

Mike Shildt is retiring as San Diego Padres manager with two years remaining on his contract, saying “the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally.”

The 57-year-old Shildt on Saturday informed the team he would retire, nine days after the Padres were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs in a tense three-game wild-card series. He said he made the decision on his own accord.

Shildt led the Padres to the postseason in each of the two seasons he managed the franchise. The club confirmed Shildt’s decision Monday.

“While it has always been about serving others, it’s time I take care of myself and exit on my terms,” Shildt said in a statement given to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I gave every fiber of my being to help achieve Peter Seidler’s vision of bringing a World Series Championship to San Diego.

“We fell short of the ultimate goal, but I am proud of what the players, staff and organization were able to accomplish the last two seasons.”

Shildt went 183-141 as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season and finished second in the NL West before being eliminated by the Cubs.

“I am most grateful for our players,” Shildt said in his statement. “San Diego is rightfully proud of the Padres players. It is a group that conducts themselves with class, is dedicated to each other and the common goal of winning a World Series. I love our players and will miss them dearly!!

“After 34 years of dedicating myself to the rigors of coaching and managing, I can with great enjoyment look back on achieving my two primary goals: To help players get the most out of their God given ability and become better men. Also, to win games.”

Before joining the Padres organization in early 2022 as a player development coach, Shildt was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018 to 2021, posting a winning record in each of his three full seasons. He was the NL Manager of the Year in 2019 after leading the Cards to 91 wins and the NL Central title.

“We would like to congratulate Mike on a successful career and thank him for his significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller wrote as part of a statement.

Preller added that the search for a new Padres manager “will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026.”

The next Padres manager will be the sixth to work under Preller since he was hired to lead the baseball operations department in 2014, following Bud Black, Andy Green, Jayce Tingler, Bob Melvin and Shildt, whose retirement makes the Padres one of eight teams searching for a new manager this offseason.

Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was among the masses who were caught off-guard by the Cleveland Browns sending veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals in a rare in-division trade last week.

“It was shocking to me,” Tomlin said Monday, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “[Browns general manager] Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to be a day 1 starter to a divisional opponent.”

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about Tomlin’s criticism of the Flacco trade on Monday, and he told reporters, “I don’t have a comment on that.”

Cleveland had benched Flacco and inserted rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel as the starter in Week 5. Rather than holding onto the aging vet, the Browns traded him to the Bengals, who were struggling at the quarterback position after losing star signal-caller Joe Burrow to toe surgery.

The Steelers easily handled the Flacco-less Browns with a 23-9 win on Sunday. Gabriel completed 29 of his 52 passes for 221 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while being sacked six times.

Rather than facing Flacco with Cleveland on Sunday, Pittsburgh will meet its old nemesis when it faces Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 7. In his Bengals debut, Flacco threw for 219 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on 29-of-45 passing in Sunday’s 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers will be seeking their fourth straight win on Thursday, so it can be expected that Tomlin will have his players amped up to take on Flacco and the Bengals as they try to continue to establish supremacy in the AFC North.

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Steph Curry has been the face of the Warriors for the better part of two decades, but who’s next in line to carry that burden once the two-time NBA MVP decides to hang it up?

Brandin Podziemski recently stated his desire to earn that prestigious role, displaying a level of ambition that is appreciated by general manager Mike Dunleavy.

Dunleavy wouldn’t make a hard commitment to handing the keys of the franchise over to Podziemski, opting to see how the cards unfold when the time comes, as he explained further during an interview on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” Friday.

“I think we like his ambition overall. That’s part of the reason that makes him good,” Dunleavy told Matt Steinmentz and Daryl Johnson. “He believes in himself, he goes out there and shows it every night. So, on the whole, I like to see that. As far as the future goes, it’s so hard to predict. I think from his standpoint or any of our young players’ standpoint, who knows how good these guys are going to be … we’ll see where the chips fall.

“We love having BP. He has been an integral part of our team the last couple years, as has some of the young guys we drafted in the first round, second round, picked up, undrafted, whatever it may be. We feel good about our young group. But who knows five years from now what any of this is going to look like. So, we just want to focus on this year, putting together the best team we can do and we’ll kind of cross the bridge of everything else as it goes.”

Podziemski voiced his lofty goal during an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Nick Friedell, detailing how warning that trust goes beyond just his skill on the court.

“When they leave this thing, they got to leave it with somebody,†Podziemski told Friedell. “How can I have their trust? And they can go to [owner] Joe [Lacob] and [general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] and be like, “Hey, we want to leave it with him. Heâ€s going to continue what weâ€re leaving.

“So, I think about that all time, and I set myself up in that position to have that. And thereâ€s a lot of other things than just skill that you need to be in that position.â€

Podziemski is entering his third NBA season after being selected No. 19 overall in the 2023 draft, earning All-Rookie honors after a standout campaign in his first year as a professional.

The 22-year-old guard followed that up with another solid performance in his sophomore season, posting 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in 64 appearances.

While Podziemski certainly has displayed the desired traits you’d seek in a leader, his long-term role will be sorted out when the time comes. For now, his, and every member of Golden State’s focus remains putting the Warriors in the best position possible to pursue a championship this season.

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The Warriors are focused on the present, but general manager Mike Dunleavy can’t ignore the uncertainty looming with Steve Kerr’s future as coach.

Dunleavy joined 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” on Friday and discussed where things stand with Kerr as he enters the final year of a two-year contract he signed in February 2024.

“Yeah, I mean, I guess technically there is [uncertainty],” Dunleavy said. “This isn’t really a regular situation with a head coach where he’s in the last year of his deal. We know what it is with Steve. He’s been here a long time. He’s been an amazing part of this franchise, and as far as I’m concerned, can stay as long as he wants.

“We’re going to give him the grace of the season to go through it, or at least some of it, to see and feel where he’s at mentally and physically.”

With two years left on Steph Curry’s contract, two left on Draymond Green’s with a player option in the final year and Jimmy Butler also signed through the 2026-27 NBA season, it only feels right that Kerr would end his Warriors tenure with the guys he started it with.

When asked about it last week, Kerr told reporters he didn’t want to address it at that point because he wants to see how he feels in six months, adding that he’s “very comfortable” just going into the season with one year left on his deal.

“I get how maybe it doesn’t line up,” Dunleavy said, “but it’s hard to see Steve moving on, or to see Steph finish his career without Steve on the sidelines. I think it’ll all work out, but we’re not going to jump into anything. We’re going to go on Steve’s terms.

“And right now, he just wants to take it and see how the season goes. And no problem on our end.”

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